Priest solicits debate about South Side

Monthly forums will be held at Cathedral Church of the Nativity.

South Bethlehem can be viewed as a kaleidoscope of cultures, businesses and street patterns trying to move from under the shadow of a shuttered Bethlehem Steel Corp.

The Rev. Joel Atkinson of Cathedral Church of the Nativity on Wyandotte Street said he hopes to gather several area power brokers soon to hear how they envision the area's development is coming together.

Atkinson is arranging a monthly forum series at the church titled, "About South Bethlehem," starting on Monday. Bethlehem Mayor Don Cunningham will be the first speaker.

The speakers will include developer Lou Pektor, Lehigh University President Gregory Farrington and Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley Director Alan Jennings, who is renovating an abandoned factory.

"I want people to come in so we can ask them, "What's your dream, and what are you doing about it?"' Atkinson said.

Atkinson said he knows raising such issues has elicited strong feelings from residents, many of whom have said they are frustrated by a perceived lack of change on the South Side.

He hopes to skirt a stalemate on a progressive discussion of ideas by allowing the guests to state their case during the first half of each session before opening the floor to questions.

Atkinson also hopes that many of those who criticize will also propose realistic visions of their own for the area, he said.

The series is the brainchild of Atkinson and two of his congregants, Bob Wilkins and former Bethlehem Mayor Ken Smith.

"First and foremost, I want to inform my church members about what's happening around their church," Atkinson said. "And second, I want to inform the residents of what could be happening in their community."

Cunningham, who will speak at 7:30 p.m. Monday, said wrapping up his vision of the South Side in its past, present and future incarnations can seem like a tall task.

Nevertheless, he hopes to point out a lot of what has happened, such as the departure of Bethlehem Steel and the growth of an eclectic mix of downtown shops near Lehigh University, with future projects such as a proposed greenway along the abandoned Norfolk-Southern railway tracks.

"South Bethlehem is an urban planner's dreamscape," Cunningham said. "My administration has spent the majority of its time focusing on south Bethlehem, and it's a place we'll continue to revisit."